New residents drive 28% growth for Findlay Market, new Biergarten and extended hours

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Over recent years, the neighborhood surrounding Cincinnati’s historic Findlay Market has seen the influx of new businesses and residents as a part of the ongoing revitalization of historic Over-the-Rhine. These new residents are translating into new business for Findlay Market. Through week 17 of 2009 the market has seen a 27.9% increase in traffic over the same time from last year.

“We are very encouraged that more and more people are moving back into Downtown and Over-the-Rhine. They want all the usual services within the urban core…and one of those is the availability of quality foods,”says Eagleson.

In addition to increased traffic, Findlay Market has also seen several vendors expand into larger stands which Eagleson says represents a stable and growing business. “The addition of new merchants and seeing that our shopper statistics have grown so significantly tells us that the market is growing and its shopper base,and the merchants, are able to sustain a healthy full-time business.”

The market also looks forward to welcoming a new merchant this coming June. World Food Bar will serve ready-to-eat Caribbean food. Also new this summer will be the opening of the Over-the-Rhine Biergarten at Findlay Market.

The Biergarten will be open on Saturdays from11am to 5pm and Sundays from Noon to 4pm through Labor Day. A grand opening happy hour celebration will be had on Friday, May 8th from 3pmto 6pm at Essen Strasse at Findlay Market (southwest corner of the Market House). This will compliment the live music that will be held throughout the summer and the already very popular wine tastings that are held at Market Wines.

The Biergarten will serve Christian Moerlein Lagers and Ales, Hudepohl and Burger Beer brands. It will be operated through a partnership between Findlay Market, the Over-the-Rhine Foundation and the Brewery District with all proceeds going to benefit the OTR Foundation and the Brewery District.

The increase in business has also led to other visible signs of change including plans to expand the market's hours of operation and adjust current operations to allow for greater shopping flexibility for those who would like to visit the market after work.

The new hours will be from 9am to 6pm Tuesday through Friday which shifts operational hours back one hour to allow the market to be open until 6pm and allow for more people to shop at Findlay Market after work. The addition of Tuesday service is also new and now allows customers to come to the market six days a week.

Findlay Market will now also open an hour earlier on Sundays at the request of both vendors, at the market, and shoppers making Sunday hours 10am to 4pm. Saturday hours will remain unchanged at 8am to 6pm.

The expanded hours are critical to the success of Findlay Market says Marketing Director Cheryl Eagleson. “The old hours had been confusing to some of our shoppers,” say Eagleson. “The new hours add practical shopping time and allow our vendors to be open more,” Eagleson continues.